Which cuts will George Osborne impose to meet his promise of a budget surplus by 2019-20? The full answer will be given in the Spending Review on 25 November but Osborne has revealed the first details today. The Department for Transport, the Department for Local Government and Communities, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Treasury have all agreed to cut their day-to-day spending (excluding investment) by an average of 30 per cent over the next four years.
Osborne’s announcement is a reassertion of his authority after the tax credits defeat and an attempt to intensify the pressure on those cabinet ministers yet to reach settlements. Having agreed to further cuts, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, Environment Secretary Liz Truss and Communities Secretary Greg Clark will join the government’s Public Expenditure Committee, known as “the star chamber” after the 15th century court. Those ministers who prove obstructive will be interrogated by their more frugal colleagues.
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